Suppression: The Mystery of the Vanishing Data
Submitted by Gabe Sataloff on August 10, 2012
Jobs, GDP, and other economic indicators are all the rage these days. You can’t turn on the TV or radio without hearing about some sort of jobs report or analysis of how fast (or slow) the economy is growing. With this huge focus on economics, more and more people are requesting economic data for their counties and states, only to find that sometimes there are these nasty little codes where data should be.
A Fairly Accurate Explanation of Map Accuracies
Submitted by Nate Herold on July 30, 2012
We’ve gotten a number of questions in the past related to map accuracy, and specifically the two types of accuracy associated with the assessment of individual categories. So, I’ll attempt to explain (as accurately as I can):
Lidar - Accuracy Versus Resolution
Submitted by Kirk Waters on June 27, 2012
It seems like every day I hear a statement about high-resolution lidar that bugs the heck out of me. I even hear it from our staff at the Center. So, I thought I'd write a little entry about it and see if any of them pick up on it.
Happy Birthday Mercator
Submitted by Cindy Fowler on May 22, 2012
I recently read a Tweet celebrating Gerhardus Mercator's 500th birthday. This got me thinking about how Mercator has influenced our work on the Digital Coast. Not a subject that many people stay up late contemplating, I know, but stay with me. Even those of you who have no idea of the significance of a map projection have been greatly influenced by Mercator.
1,371 Pounds of Coffee Beans and Landsat 5
Submitted by John McCombs on April 16, 2012
Back in July 2007, I started a wholesale account with a coffee distributor. Since that time, my co-workers and I have ordered 1,371 pounds of coffee beans. After doing some Google searches, I discovered that there are approximately 3,350 coffee beans per pound, and each pound will make about 2 gallons of coffee. That means I have ordered over 4,592,850 beans, which could in turn make about 2,742 gallons of coffee.
What does this have to do with Landsat 5 though?
How Much Length Do You Really Need? Ahhh, Shoreline Length That Is!
Submitted by Cindy Fowler on March 26, 2012
One of the questions that we often get here at Digital Coast is, “How long is the U.S. shoreline?” My joking answer back is, “How long do you need it to be?”
Detecting Zombies with Lidar
Submitted by Kirk Waters on February 20, 2012
A frequent question we hear is, "What can you see with lidar?" Since not all lidar is created equal, it might be easier to look at it from another direction, one which I'm sure is often on people's minds. That is, "What lidar specifications would be good enough to detect zombies?" Given the recent warnings from the CDC about preparedness for a zombie apocalypse, there is a clear need to get a head start in zombie detection.
Coveting thy neighbor’s web mapping services
Submitted by Charles Molnar on February 8, 2012
We’ve all been there, you're in some glorious online mapping application and see some data that you wish you could have. Or perhaps you want to bring those web services into your own mashup.
Sail at Low Tide?
Submitted by Keil Schmid on January 18, 2012
The tide is high out
on the bay
I guess we should hold out
on this day
Lidar collection is gonna have to wait
The shoreline has to be straight
What marshes look like can be worse
Much will be lost of course
Models and imagery makes it clear
It’s best to wait till tidal flats appear
Hydro-enforcing different water elevations
will leave you with some lingering reservations
What's the Scenario?
Submitted by Doug Marcy on January 4, 2012
At some point in the climate adaptation planning process you might have to choose a sea level rise scenario(s). One(s) that incorporate global projections and local change rates. Most plans use a span of 100 years or time horizon of 2100 as the endpoint.